Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd informed the Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 9, that it has stopped the sale of 14 products after Uttrakhand suspended its manufacturing licenses with immediate effect in April. This came after the Supreme Court asked Patanjali if they had taken down its misleading ads from social media platforms. Patanjali is a multinational conglomerate company founded by Ramdev and Balkrishna in 2006. It had its headquarters in 2006 and has been in the news in recent times. The company manufactures, ayurvedic medicines, cosmetics, personal care products, and food products.
Patanjali Instructed 5605 Stores To Manufacture Of 14 Products
Along with the stop in the sale of the 14 products, Patanjali has also instructed 5,606 franchise stores to stop the manufacturing of the stores. The court was dealing with a case that was registered by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) after it sued Patanjali over its misleading advertisements targeting allopathic medicine, also alleging that Patanjali held a negative campaign against efforts made in the COVID-19 vaccination process.
Uttarakhand Suspends Patanjali’s Manufacturing License
Upon suspension of its manufacturing licenses in Uttrakhand, the state license authority said in an affidavit that the cancellation order was issued because of repeated violations of the Drugs and Magic Remedies Act, 1545, denoting objectionable advertisements. The bench comprising Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Sandeep Mehta will hear the case by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on July 30.
Supreme Court Asks Patanjali If The Ads Were Taken Down
The plea filed by the IMA to The Supreme Court is based on allegations of a smear campaign by Patanjali against the COVID-19 vaccination drive along with the modern systems of medicine. The Supreme Court later suggested that Patanjali should not be manufacturing products for which licenses are not permeable. Moreover, the apex court also reserved an order along with a contempt notice issued to Baba Ramdev and his aide Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd concerning a misleading advertisements case, questioning whether efforts were made to bring down products that have now been prohibited. On April 24, the co-founders of Patanjali Baba Ramdev and Balkrishna issued a public apology which was published in newspapers. Later, the Supreme Court also expressed dissatisfaction with the issued apology.